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Gadi Eisenkot or Benjamin Netanyahu – under whose direction will Israel head? Erik Marmor/picture alliance via Getty Images

Israel has voted, but what comes next? Dissecting a messy ballot and coalition-building process

Current News / News & Features /

The Israeli election of Oct. 27, 2026, was among the most highly anticipated votes in the country’s history. It was consequential, if not yet conclusive.

With nearly all the votes counted, it is still unclear who will lead the country following the first national ballot since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, and the devastating ...Read more

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Hayden Panettiere's manner of death revealed as officials conclude case

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Officials in South Carolina announced Wednesday that an investigation found Hayden Panettiere's Aug. 16 death to be accidental and the case is now closed.

"Based on the Medical Examiner's determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere's death has been ruled accidental," officials in Greenville, S.C., said.

Paramedics ...Read more

Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Judge denies feds' request to block 20,000 California ballots in blistering opinion

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A federal judge in a blistering opinion Wednesday denied a Trump administration request to immediately block California elections officials from counting the ballots of 20,000 voters whose citizenship the administration questions. The administration swiftly said it would appeal.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the administration�...Read more

Kristian Carreon/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

'Thinly veiled voter purge': San Diego, Imperial counties respond to DOJ demands for voter info

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Officials from San Diego and Imperial counties responded Tuesday evening with strongly worded letters informing U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon that they would not comply with his demands to segregate nearly 1,900 ballots sent to individuals whom the U.S. Department of Justice has claimed are “likely” noncitizens.

“The DOJ’s request is a ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

'She always showed up': Bay Area remembers Dolores Huerta

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Dave Cortese was in the middle of a San Jose City Council meeting during his second term when he received a message that legendary labor leader Dolores Huerta was outside and wanted to speak with him.

He quietly left the dais and met her in the newly built rotunda, where she had pulled up two chairs facing each other. She ...Read more

Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Judge denies feds' request to block 20,000 California ballots in blistering opinion

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LOS ANGELES — A federal judge in Los Angeles denied a Trump administration request Wednesday to immediately block California elections officials from counting the ballots of 20,000 voters whose citizenship the administration questions in a blistering opinion.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the administration’s allegations ...Read more

Alexandra Mendoza/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Families of Mexican migrants on doomed boat search for answers about missing loved ones

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SAN DIEGO — Marcos Castro last texted his mother to tell her that he had decided to cross into the U.S. and was about to get on a boat.

The family has not heard from him since.

Jessica Castro believes that her brother was on a boat with 27 people that sank 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, this month. Sixteen people were rescued by the U.S...Read more

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/TNS

Mamdani extends racial equity leader's term 1 year after pushback on her removal

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NEW YORK — Linda Tigani, the chairperson of the city’s Commission on Racial Equity, will remain in her role for an additional year, Mayor Mamdani said Wednesday — after he had sought to replace her but faced backlash from the City Council.

The mayor’s pick to lead the independent commission, Christopher Alexander, is now expected to ...Read more

Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose is officially renamed

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — The name Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose is no more.

On Tuesday, City Council members officially wiped the name of the disgraced labor leader from a downtown park for good — the city’s most significant location named after him — renaming it Plaza de San Jose. The decision comes more than six months after the city ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

California's artificial intelligence bill has gaps. Lawmakers plan to fill them

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A rogue action by OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models this summer to break into another company was not considered a “critical safety incident,” under a California law regulating the technology.

The Hugging Face hack reverberated across the industry because OpenAI’s models took actions that went against what ...Read more

Mass. judge to decide if state can move forward with teen gender transition against parents' will

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A Massachusetts judge will decide Thursday if state officials can move forward with providing a teenage girl with a medical gender transition against the will of her parents, as an ongoing child custody battle that’s gained national attention reaches the boiling point.

Joseph and Arlene Kutzko will appear in a Massachusetts Family Courtroom ...Read more

SAUL LOEB/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

CNN adds Air Force One access to lawsuit over Trump White House ban

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CNN, MS NOW and Politico have revised their lawsuit against the Trump administration over press access to the White House to include a request for a court order to allow their journalists into other areas, including the Oval Office and Air Force One.

The updated lawsuit was filed Wednesday, two weeks after U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly ...Read more

Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Gov. Gavin Newsom touts 13% drop in California unsheltered homeless since 2024

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in California had dropped almost 13% since 2024, providing a boost to a Democrat who has been dogged by criticism of his handling of the issue.

The number of unsheltered homeless people statewide dropped from 123...Read more

Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register/TNS

Southern California's flood risks extended another day, weather service says

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LOS ANGELES — Unusually high tides that have brought flooding to low-lying areas in Southern California including Newport Beach and Long Beach may linger longer than initially predicted.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday extended flood advisories for all of Southern California’s coastal counties through 2 p.m. Friday, said Devin ...Read more

Los Angeles approves ban on oil production after yearslong fight

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LOS ANGELES — After a yearslong battle, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a plan to end oil drilling and pumping within city limits once and for all.

The council voted unanimously on the ordinance, which halts new oil and gas drilling in the city and phases out existing production over the next 20 years. It applies to some ...Read more

Washington state fires back at DOJ demands, calls voter list 'deeply flawed'

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SEATTLE — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs fired back at the Trump administration Wednesday, accusing the Justice Department of compiling a “deeply flawed” list of purported noncitizens who are registered to vote and saying it would be both “irresponsible and illegal” to not count votes based on the list.

Hobbs, in a letter ...Read more

Amanda Sabga/Boston Herald/TNS

Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband Patrick sues medical providers who treated her

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Patrick Clancy filed a wrongful death suit against a psychiatrist and a nurse practitioner who treated his ex-wife Lindsay before she allegedly killed the couple’s three children.

Lawyers representing Dr. Jennifer Tufts and Rebecca Jollotta want the case dropped. The litigants and their attorneys were in a Massachusetts court on Wednesday. A ...Read more

Nathaniel Levine/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

When should I get my COVID shot? 'Viruses are more active' in California

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fall is in full swing across California, bringing cooler weather and the start of another respiratory virus season.

Although respiratory viruses circulate year-round, many become more active during the fall and winter months.

“Many respiratory viruses, including flu, (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID-19 circulate...Read more

News briefs

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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul signs bill regulating AI chatbot ‘friends’ that endanger children

NEW YORK — New York is telling the artificial intelligence industry: Chatbots are not our children’s friends. On Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill that requires companies to block some AI chatbot features for minors, including conversations ...Read more

Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

San Diego County advances $2.5 million project to curb toxic air in Tijuana River Valley

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SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday advanced a $2.5 million project meant to reduce toxic air pollution at Saturn Boulevard, the South County hot spot where cascading Tijuana River flows release hydrogen sulfide into nearby neighborhoods.

The board voted to adopt a memorandum of agreement with the city of San ...Read more